Rotary irrigator.



S. W. MOODY.

ROTARY IRRIGATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24,18l6.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- 51mm 5 W- MoooY s. W. MOODY. ROTARY IRRIGATOR.

awe/Moe 5 W MOODY Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 6 8 u 2 m 2 ,2 m rwn O SLOMON w. MOODY, or MULBERRY, FLORIDA. I

ROTARY IRRIGATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 21, 1916- Application filed June 24, 1916. Serial No. 105,744.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SLoMoN W. MOODY, a

citizen of the United States, residing at- Mulberry, in'the county of Polk and State of Florida, have invented certain new-and of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to devices in the nature of sprinklers for discharging water in fine streams on a surface to be irrigated or sprinkled and particularly to means of this character in which a series of sprinkler arms are rotated by the action of the water passing through the arms and being discharged therefrom in small jets.

One object of my invention is the provision of a very simple and effective mechanism of this character which is so constructed that it may be made ina large variety of sizes so that it may be used either,

as a sprinkler having a relatively small range or as a machine having a relatively.

large range of action and adapted to the sprinkling or irrigating of farm lands.

A further object of this invention is to provide a machine having a. rotatable element provided with two" bearings and to provide for admitting water to the sprinkler arms withoutweakening the machine.

Further objects of this invention are to improve the details of construction in machines of this character so that the machines pipes 35 being in elevation and the pipes 25.

being partly in section.-

Referring to these figures, 10 designates a.

base which is. illustrated as formed with a plurality of downwardly and outwardly projecting legs joined to a simple hub or collar 11. Tothis hub or collar 11 is connected the upwardly extending casing pipe 12, this casing pipe being connected to the'hub 11 by means of a screw-threaded collar 13, illus-' tratedas held to the hub 11 by means'of Screws 14. The base '10 carries upon it the annular bearing member 15, which as illus- 'trated, is angular in cross section and is 7 preferably "made of phosphor bronze. At

its upper end the casing pipe or tube 12 supports a head 16 with which it has screwuseful Improvements in Rotary Irrigators,

threaded engagement, this head being formed with a central chamber 17 and with an annular seat 18 for a bronze bearing sleeve 19 which is also angular in cross sec tion. A supply pipe 20 enters the lower end of the casing 12-and extends upward therethrough and has screw-threadedengagement with the head 16 and discharges into the f chamber. 17. -From the upper end of the head 16 extends a pipe 21 which constitutes a-continuation of the pipe 20, this pipe 21 at r a suitable distance above the head 16 being provided with the discharge orifices 22 The pipes 20 and 21 together constitute a stand pipe and the pipe 21 .at its upper end is provided with a cap 23 from which guy wires extend to the ground.

Rotatably mountedzupon the pipe section 21 in alinement with the orifices 22'is a sleeve-like member 24: which is hollow and provided with downwardly and outwardly is provided with upper and lower hub portions 28 which extend into packing glands 29 mounted upon the pipe section21 and provided with packing rings 30. Preferably the hub portions 28 are screw-threaded in'the packing glands as illustratedso that r the packing rings 30 may be tightened about the pipe section 21 .to prevent'any-leakage of water at this point. The sleeve-like member 24 is formed with an annular opening 31 which registers with the apertures 22 so that water may pass from the pipe section 21 into the arms 25 and so downward into the chambers2o.v j a I v liotatably mounted :upon the bearing member 15 is an annulus 32 which carries a plurality of radially projecting. pipe sections 33 which engage each with an elbow 34, to which elbow .is engaged radially extending discharge pipe orsprinkling pipe 1 35 which is formed withperforations 36'at uniform distances. From the elbow extends upward and inward a short pipe section which is connected'by means of a, v i

horizontal position and prevent any flexure' union 38 with the pipe section 25 which extends upward and inward and has screwthreaded engagement at its upper end with the annulus 27 and is in communication with the chamber 26. The outer end of each arm 35 is closed by means of a cap 38*.

In order to support the arms 35 in a of these arms, I provide a plurality of brace wires 39 for each arm, these brace wires being connected at their inner ends to collars 4O operatively mounted upon the pipe section 33 and at their outer ends connected to collars 41 mounted upon the outer ends of the arms 35. These wires 39. are placed under strain by struts 42 connected to a collar 43 mounted upon the arm 35 and formed at their outer edge with eyes through which the bracing wires 39 pass. As illustrated there are four of these bracing wires. The struts 42 may be formed in any desired manner which will accomplish the result of supporting the arm at its middle by means of the brace wires, The brace wires are preferably provided with turn buckles 44 whereby the tension of the brace wires may be'adjusted. From the collars 43 extend wires 45 provided with turn buckles 46 whereby the tension of the wires may be adjusted, and from the extremities of the arms 35 extend the bracing wires 47 likewise provided with turn buckles 48. The arms 35 are further supported at a plurality of points by means of the downwardly and outwardly extending guy wires 49, which at their lower ends are connected at spaced intervals to the arms 35 and at their upper ends are connected at spaced intervals as illustrated to the annulus 27, the pipes 25 and the upper end of the sleeve 24, these wires 49. acting to support the arms 35 against any tendency to bend or buckle. Turn buckles are also used in these wires 49. From the cap 33 extend the guy wires 50 which extend down to the ground and are connected to anchors.

The operation of this invention will be obvious.

The pipe 20 is to be connected to a source of supply, the water having suflicient pressure to be forced up into the upper end of the pipe 20 and into the rotatable element composed of the sleeve-like member 24, the pipes 25 and the annulus 27 Now when water is turned on it will flow downward through the pipes 25 and 25 and into the arms 35, thus causing the said arms and the rotatable structure composed of the members 25 and 25 130 rotate. The rotation of the sprinkler arms will cause the jets of water to be thrown outward to a considerable di's'tance so that the range or spread will be very much greater than the diameter otthe machine. The machine may be made in-al-l sizes,either for sprinkling rela- -tively small spaces such as lawns or may the supply pipes extending outward and then downward to the perforated arms is to provide a device of this character having two bearings for the rotatable element which supports the sprinkler arms. There is no other way that water can be supplied to the sprinkler arms and provide for two bearings without weakening the machine. If water was admitted directly to the sprinkler arms from the pipe 20 "the machine would be weakened and "the downwardly extending pipes 25 are designed to strengthen the machine as well as to supply water to the sprinkler arms. Machines of large size, and this machine is intended as before stated to have a relatively large size, i

must be built as rigidly as possible or they will not stand up under the strain to which they are put.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A rotatable irrigator com-prising a'base, a casing extending upward fromthe base, a supply pipe extending upward through the base and casing, an annulus rotatably mounted upon the base, an annulus rotatably mounted upon the upper end of the casing and having an annular chamber, a sleeve rotatably mounted upon the upper end of the supply pipe and having communication with the interior thereof and provided with downwardly and outwardly extending arms connected to said annular chamber, a plurality of radially disposed sprinkler arms mounted upon the first named annulus, and pipe connections tween the annular chamber and said sprinkling arms.

2. A rotator irrigator comprising a base, a hollow casing extending upward from the base, an annulus rotatably mounted upon the base, an annulus rotatably mounted upon the upper end of the casingand having-an annular chamber, a supply pipe extending upward through the base and above these'co'nd named annulus, a sleeve member rotatably mounted upon the upper end of the supply pipe and having communication withthe interior thereof and having outwardly and a hollow casing extending upward froi'n' the base, an annulus rotatably mounted upon the base, an annulus rotatably mounted upon the upper end of the casing and having an annular chamber, a supplypipe extending upward through the base and above the second named annulus, a sleeve member ro tatively mounted upon the upper end of the supply pipe and having communication with the interior thereof and having outwardly and downwardly extending hollow arms communicating with the interior of the annular chamber, packing members surrounding the supply pipe and engaging the sleeve member, a plurality of radially disposed arms mounted upon the first named annulus and having discharge openings, a plurality of pipe sections extending downward from the annular chamber to the sprinkling arms, and guy wires extending downward from the second named annulus and the sleeve member to said sprinkling arms.

at. A rotary irrigator comprising a base, a hollow casing extending upward from the base, an annulus rotatably mounted upon the base, an annulus rotatably mountedupon the upper end of the casing and having an annular chamber, a supply pipe extending upward through the base and above the second named annulus, a sleeve member rotatably mounted upon the upper end of the supply pipe and having communication with the interior thereof and having outwardly and downwardly extending hollow arms communicating with the interior of the annular chamber, packing members surrounding the supply pipe and engaging the sleeve member, a plurality of radially disposed arms mounted upon the first named annulus and having discharge openings, a

plurality of pipe sections extending downward from the annular chamber to the sprinkling arms, guy wires extending downward from the second named annulus and the sleeve member to said sprinkling arms, each of the sprinkling arms being braced by a plurality of bracing wires, and straining members including struts mounted upon each of said sprinkling arms and over which said bracing wires pass.

5. A rotary irrigator comprising a base having an annular seat, a bearing mounted upon said seat, a tubular casing mounted upon the base and having an annular seat, a bearing or bushing mounted upon said seat, a supply pipe section extending upward through the casing and having a hollow head, a supply pipe section extending upward from the hollow head, a sleeve member rotatably mounted upon the upper end of the supply pipe and having downwardly and outwardly extending tubular arms, an annulus mounted upon the bearing'member of the head and rotatable therearound and to which said arms are connected, said annulus being hollow, an annulus rotatably mounted upon the first named bearing, a

plurality of radially disposed sprinkling arms mounted upon the last named annulus and including elbows, and a plurality of tubular members connecting said elbows with the interior of the first named annulus.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SLOMON W. MOODY. Witnesses:

ALVA DENHAM, A. M. MOORE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

